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Did Model Airplanes Lead You To The Real thing?

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Dave Baxter

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It did me. Chris McMillin posted this and a CL stunt model Golden Falcon in another thread, so it perked my interest and thought others might like to comment?

I lived in Little Ferry in 1989. Rented a room from a guy who was tops in control line Stunt event and I wanted to learn as much as I could about it and built a model at his shop in the basement under his tutelage while flying for TWA. Cool place close to Teterboro and the float plane base. He said when he was a kid in the 50's he'd bike there with an empty jar and the mechanic would ladle dope from a drum into it for building his models. Later he inherited his father's Ercoupe at Teterboro.
I still have the model, fly it periodically.
Chris...

As for me I also started with control line models back in the 50s, and later late 60s and early 70s in the bay area and Central Calif and competed in numerous events mostly stunt and combat, then later 1998 when living in Oroville in Northern Calif and working at Starduster and Jones flying service on Ag Cats started competing in CL again. Locally followed by several trips down to Tucson AZ to fly Top Gun one week end and VSC Old Time Stunt the following At Silver Bell Park in Tuscon AZ.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egozo2f2UWQ[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3XldpoGelI[/ame]

Built the control line model of Starduster Too from a three view of the real airplane in the early 70s. The Box Car Chief powered with a McCoy 40 is what I used to compete with in Old Time Stunt, and the red Nobler in Classic Stut that is powered with an Aldrich fox 40. I made the trophy's pictured in the flyer last picture, using old McCoy red heads that were worn out!

Interestingly I ended up flying against many of the same guys that I had flown against back in the 70s, back then believe it or not we flew fast combat in Golden Gate park, with no mufflers and no safety shut offs that were later required, due to cutaways and mid air collisions!

If one has never seen Control line combat in person, it is best described as sword fighting on 60' lines with gas powered combat wings towing 8' streamers, you win by cuts, kills and airtime, it is just the opposite of control line stunt, a rather gentlemanly reserved sport white pants, where combat is the dirty shirt elbow in the ribs step on you opponents foot inside, outside loops, fly upside down, and stay out of the ground, and if you are on his tail he cant get on yours.

These matches are flown mostly by sound feel and reaction never watching your plane only your opponents! The combat wings are powered by either Mk VI fox combat specials, or the later Nelson 36 or the Russian made Fora, which was basically a knock off of Henry Nelsons combat special, these engines tun well over 3000 rpm with small carbon fiber props and low nitro loads at speeds up 120mph! Dave

Golden Falcon CL Stunt.jpg


SA-300 CL Fox 59 stunt.jpg


SA-300 CL Fox 59 stunt 2.jpg


Box Car Chief Old time Stunt.jpg


Foam Combat Wings with Nelson 36 engines 2.jpg


SAM_3240 small.jpg


SAM_3245 small.jpg


Old Time Stunt Pattern.jpg


CL Old Time Stunt & Combat 2001 small.jpg
 
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